Day 3 of Summer School & STEAM camp at Holly Harshman Elementary!!
The Whitt & Watkins Basketball Academy began on Thursday at the Union Bank Center. The morning session is for 1st-8th grades & the afternoon session is for 9th-12th grades. It continues on Friday & Saturday. GO BEARCATS !!!
Mena leaders are attending training with the DeQueen Mena Education Service Cooperative at Degray State Park this week. Administrators from schools across the DMESC area are attending.
Mena teachers are already learning new skills to help with engaging lessons. Tuesday at HHE they were participating in Summer PD learning how to use new technology… BenQ interactive panels have been installed & will help teachers interact with students.
The history of Mena Public Schools!
Part 2:
In 1901 the schools were under the supervision of S. H. Allen a graduate of Ouachita College. Mena had made such rapid progress by this time that they had built and furnished three buildings containing eight large rooms of the common school grades. Central School was built in 1904. This two story red brick building was erected on the site where the First Baptist Church is now located. There were eight classrooms and one teacher for each grade first through eighth. There were times when enrollment in each room might reach 55 or 60 students for each teacher. A high wire fence was stretched from the front porch to Port Arthur Avenue to separate the girls on one side toward the library and the boys on the ninth street side. In each room was a large stove. The custodian really had to get up early to start eight separate fires and keep two full coal buckets in each of the rooms. He would go around sometimes three times a day to put the coal in the stoves. Only occasionally did the teacher have to perform this task. All the school children were suppose to bring a cup from home since the Janssen Park Spring was the only source of drinking water. Paper cups had not been introduced as yet. Teachers had spring duty in those days. The children went by rooms to the park to get water three times a day. The children did not take the drinking cups home. It was thought that the construction of the Central School would accommodate the school population for some time to come, but by 1905 it was necessary to provide other facilities as those housing the school population of the new boom-town of Mena were greatly over-worked. The first buildings that had been erected for school purposes were bulging with children. To provide further housing facilities, the Southside Ward School was built. This was a neat frame building of two rooms. At this time the late and much beloved Prof. W. T. Adams had supervision of the schools. He was untiring in his efforts to build up the city schools. Mrs. Ruby Grant was the first principal of the new school. Miss Mable Adams, now Mrs. John Mershon, was the primary teacher. Mrs. John Mershon had a room enrollment of 113 pupils. The town of Mena continued to grow rapidly and by 1907 it was necessary to add another room to the Ward building.
Check bac next Wednesday for part 3!
Summer Learning & STEAM camp are in full swing @ HHE!!
The Little Ladycats Camp got underway on Wednesday at the Union Bank Center. It was a great first day with 60 campers.
We will welcome any new campers Thursday, $30.
Mena Public Schools will offer breakfast and/or lunch to anyone 18 and under free of charge beginning June 6th,2022 through June 30th 2022. Locations are:
Louise Durham Elementary 106 N. Reine in Mena on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Mena Middle School, 700 S Morrow St. Monday -Thursday.
Times are 8:00am to 8:30am for breakfast, 12:00pm to 12:30pm for lunch.
The Mena Public Schools Year End Celebration was held on Tuesday in the Performing Arts Center. A number of employees were recognized for their years of service.
1 YEAR
MADYSON BIRTCHER
JAMIE GROGAN
WANALYNN ALEXANDER
JORDAN BAILEY
REAGAN BLACK
ALEXA BREWER
BRIANNE BURFORD
CHRISTIE CHANDLER
VINCENT COLEMAN
LANA COOGAN
HANNAH CRAFTON
SHANDA CRAIG
CARRI CRANFORD
AUDRA CUMMINGS
SHELBY GARCIA
ERIN GRANT
LEANNA HARPER
JESSICA HUGHES
AMBER LABERTEW
SHANNON LYLE
KRISTEN MANASCO
MALLORY MCCONNELL
CHERISH MICHAEL
ABBY MINTON
ISAAC MINTON
REAGAN PETERS
ASHLKEY PREGON
JAQUELINE REDFEARN
LISA ROBERTS
KRISTI SCHULLER
AILEEN SIRKIS
KATHRYN SMITH
ABIGAIL TILLEY
TIMOTHY WALSTON
COURTNEY WARREN
ERIKA WILLIAMS
BRIANNA PETERS
LIBERTY JACOT
5 YEAR
SARAH BILLINGS
RACHEL CARTER
DANIEL HENDRIX
ALYSSA HOSTETLER
CHARMAINE MARTIN
KENNEDY MCCORMICK
JILL NEWBOLT
CYNTIA STANDRIDGE
LEAH TAYLOR
10 YEAR
KRYSTAL BOYD
PEGGY FOSTER
LORRIE HENRY
TIFFANY LUTTMER
AMY MONTGOMERY
LINDA SHELLEY
TERESA TORIX
SCOTT WRIGHT
15 YEARS
CE;ESTE ASHCRAFT
DIANNE HUNTER
MITCH MILNE
SHERMA PETERS
DEE SMITH
HEATHER GOSS
25 YEARS
STACI BROOKS
DALYNNE RANDOLPH
NATHAN STONE
30+ YEARS
LEO BARGE
TODD COOGAN
TERESA CLARK
BECKY RICHARDSON
MEGAN TIBBS
BRYAN MAYE
PATTY OGLESBY
ANNITA HENDRIX
RETIREES
RODNEY PURVIS
LINDA COLLINS
JIMMA HOLDER
KAREN PURVIS
The HHE Boys Group visited Phillip Hatley’s farm today! The Thank you Mr. Phillip and Mrs. Ann for everything! WE really enjoyed it!
Mrs. Barrett’s class at Holly Harshman Elementary enjoyed their final field trip at Phillip Hatley’s farm! Thank you Mr. Phillip and Mrs. Ann for everything!
Holly Harshman Elementary held their End of Year Assembly on Wednesday in the Performing Arts Center. If you were unable to attend you can watch it now on the Mena Public Schools You Tube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IsBluYWQ4M
There's no friends like playground friends. These four were having a great time at Holly Harshman Elementary !
Tuesday was wild, wacky & wet at Holly Harshman Elementary !!!
Golf lesson for 5th grade today!
Xander did a wonderful job emceeing the announcements at HHE on Friday!! Woo Hoo, way to go!
Holly Harshman Elementary 4th grade field trip to the Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center.
Shout out to Kinsey Mullen for her awesome shirt design!! Her design was chosen by the 5th grade as this year’s point club t-shirt!! Way to go!
Mr. Tyler Huntington, the MMS beginner band and the Middle School Band introduced 5th graders at Holly Harshman Elementary to the band experience on Tuesday. They were introduced to all the instruments, questions were answered & all were encouraged to participate in band when the enter 6th grade next school year.
Mrs. Craig's book club finished reading Lemony Snicket's The Reptile Room, or Murder!
In celebration for completing the book, Kambree Martin and her dad Paul Martin brought their 3 year old Ball Python to visit the class!
